Digital
SLCM introduces ’Krishi Quality Janch Kendra’
Mumbai: Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM) Group, India’s largest one-stop post-harvest Agri logistics player and warehouse service provider, has taken a landmark step in the Indian agri space with the launch of physical “Krishi Quality Janch Kendra” an AI ML empowered solution that is set to revolutionize food grain Quality Check in India. Aimed at facilitating farmers, traders, FPOs as well as corporate entities involved in QC of food grain, a total of 31 centres have been opened in the initial phase of the initiative across Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. This is a defining step in Agri eco system in India when we consider these 31 in light of the fact that only a few hundred food grain testing centres have been set up till date across India since independence. SLCM intends to establish at least 600 more Krishi Quality Janch Kendra Centre’s across different parts of the country till the end of February 2024.
An extension of SLCM’s flagship Agri Reach QC module an AI ML driven application, the first ever NABL-accredited food grain QC mobile app, Krishi Quality Janch Kendra is further a strong push for SLCM’s cohesive Digital platform that encompasses Quality check, Warehousing Management solution, Agri eco system Listing as well as a Third-Party platform that facilitates hand shake between commodity Buyers and Sellers. This is yet another 1st in the agri industry. The move strengthens the phygital ecosystem ushered in by the Group by integrating physical centers with digitization. While the platform already has over 1 lakh listings of various stakeholders of the Indian agri industry, more than 500,000 more members of the community are likely to be connected by the end of the financial year.
Speaking about the initiative, SLCM CEO & founder Sandeep Sabharwal said, “We are moving towards a new era, ensuring fair price for the farmers as well as food security of the nation. There are just 161 State Seed Testing Laboratories and six Central Seed Testing Laboratories in India. For farmers and traders, a quality check of the crop/grains entails travelling long distance, spending hours at the centres, and spending huge amounts in the process. We understand the technological barriers for our farmers, and hence centres such as Krishi Quality Janch Kendra at major marketplaces are designed to maximise the benefits for all and eventually foster a transformation in the Indian agri industry.”
At the newly-introduced centres, a facilitator will enable scan and generate Quality Check report for the grains between 1 to 4 minutes while the traders/farmers would also be made well versed with Agri Reach app for quality checks in the future. The centres have been opened in South and West part of Delhi market, as well as Ujjain, Indore and Mandsaur regions of Madhya Pradesh market. The centre heads can generate quality check reports, an NABL accredited facility for accurate, trustworthy testing with reduced turnaround time, thereby helping the stakeholders save both time and money. It further transforms the way crops are valued by the buyers as valuation is a direct function of the Quality of the crop The system empowers the farmers to know the true value of their produce, and get the best price.
While SLCM has established these Krishi Quality Janch Kendra at key marketplaces where a major chunk of farmers/traders travel here for better price, the next phase will reach out to a much larger part of Indian farmers and agricultural community via over 600 such centres across 200 locations, covering the length and breadth of the country. This will enable the agri community of all areas to access the facility.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
